As an Arsenal fan I could never respect Spurs, mainly because there is nothing to respect, but Manchester United is a different story…

As far as I’m aware, this series of articles is for fans to write about some sort of regrettable admiration for a rival. As a loyal Gooner, there’s very little to admire across North London, as ‘Arry Redknapp leans out of his car window to tell Sky Sports that he “ain’t no f**kin wheelah deelah,” and that Luka Modric “will be stayin’ ‘ere one million percent cos he’s a traffic lad.”

As the Emirates banner proudly states: “forever in our shadow,” Tottenham, despite their fans’ deluded fantasies, are not and probably never will be in my lifetime, a bigger club than The Arsenal. For all The Gunners’ current shortcomings, they still remain above the old enemy who are propping up the rear of the Premier League table. It’s some sort of reassurance that Gooners will always live by: however bad things get, Spurs will still be there to point and laugh at.

For all the local history between the sides, these days I don’t think there’s any genuine deep-down hatred of the Lilywhites; they really are something of a laughing stock, a club we enjoy poking fun at because, let’s face it, they’re of no real threat to us. In 2006 when they finally had the chance to overhaul us, they quite literally, filled their knickers.

The other historical rival has to be of course, the newly-crowned most successful club in the history of English football. I was privileged, or perhaps unfortunate enough to be at Old Trafford for the Champions’ mauling of my beloved Arsenal the other week.

Another stick unable to beat United with is that they have ‘bought’ their success in the same way Chelsea have and Manchester City are looking set to do in the near future

I must first of all say that I thoroughly enjoyed visiting the city of Manchester for the first time, the environment was pleasant and the locals were surprisingly friendly consoling considering I was sporting my Gunners jersey. I even shared an enlightened footballing conversation over dinner later that night. But I’m here to write about the football club, not the surrounding area or minority of United fans not from South London.

You can do your best to knock 19 League titles and three European Cups amongst other honours but it’s a bit of a foolish act. The most valid accusation you can throw at Ferguson’s all-conquering teams is that they were ‘jammy.’ One could argue there is an element of luck at constantly snatching goals, and consequently vital points, at late stages of games but frankly, it can’t simply be good fortune when it occurs on such an unerringly frequent basis. As so many of the players will tell you, a never-say-die belief system is instilled early on, and the ability to keep on trucking, even when the proverbial chips are down, is one that has contributed to their haul of trophies over the last 20 years.

Another stick unable to beat Manchester United with is that they have ‘bought’ their success in the same way Chelsea have and Manchester City are looking set to do in the near future. The Champions may have spent large sums of money in the past, but not on the same outrageously unnecessary scale as the aforementioned Blues. Their billionaire owner has notoriously done more harm than good to the club, so they cannot rely on his backing like so many Premier League clubs are having to nowadays.

Any revenue generated is essentially a consequence of their supreme success on the pitch. Trophies equals prize money, which equals television and sponsorship deals which equals even more money. You get the picture; it’s a big snowball effect. Manchester United’s success has spread worldwide and they are now a global brand.

I have far more respect for this ‘organic’ financial growth than I do for a sugar-daddy pumping his blood money into a club.

The signing of Ji-Sung Park epitomises what the club have become. Primarily, as every player should be, he was bought because of his ability as a footballer. There has been an immensely positive side-effect, however through the reaction of their ever-growing Asian fanbase, who are delighted to see ‘one of their own’ make it at the biggest club in the world. Shirt sales have been a sensational source of income, and tours of the Far East have helped United reach out to this demographic and reap further benefits. I have far more respect for this ‘organic’ financial growth than I do for a sugar-daddy pumping his blood money into a club.

They continue to compete at the top level because of a series of by-products of their unrivalled success on the pitch. Despite having spent a hefty £65m or so, United have also strengthened through the promotion of young players; particularly the likes of Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck who have returned from loan and made a terrific early impact.

As wretched as Arsenal were at Old Trafford on that quite remarkable afternoon, United were excellent and, whisper it quietly, were pretty enjoyable to watch. Wayne Rooney has returned to the form that temporarily placed him alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the echelons of the world’s elite and the addition of Ashley Young has been inspired; as the versatile forward has added another dimension to their game and as we all know, he scored two terrific goals against the Gunners.

There seems to be more respect between the sides, including Wenger and Ferguson themselves, than there ever has been. Personally, I think it’s more a case of pity because Arsenal aren’t nearly as threatening as they were at the turn of the millennium. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss ‘the good old days’ with the titanic clashes that turned every which way, leaving every viewer completely compelled and on the edge of their seats for 90 minutes (except the drab 2005 FA Cup Final of course in which Arsenal somehow won on penalties).

The infamous van Nistelrooy ‘penaltygate’ incident saw Martin Keown, Ray Parlour, Jens Lehmann, Lauren and Ashley Cole all punished as well as Ryan Giggs and a young Cristiano Ronaldo

Keane v Vieira going head-to-head was a battle eagerly anticipated by all, and there were always fierce characters in both camps who were up for the battle. The infamous van Nistelrooy ‘penaltygate’ incident saw Martin Keown, Ray Parlour, Jens Lehmann, Lauren and Ashley Cole all punished as well as Ryan Giggs and a young Cristiano Ronaldo. I don’t condone violence in football but it was just fantastic to watch tensions boil over in that manner. And it happened every single time the teams met.

But even amidst the intense rivalry, there really was some deep-down admiration for either side because they had kept each other on their toes. Even with Chelsea’s rise to prominence, I don’t, and never did, feel the same amount of adrenaline pumping through my blood as I did when Ferguson’s men came to North London, even if Jose Mourinho briefly threatened to become public enemy number one.

Nobody can deny that Manchester United have been consistently competing at the top end both domestically and in Europe for over two decades now. It’s an outstanding achievement considering the cyclical nature of football; how Liverpool’s dominance was replaced by Arsenal, and more recently Chelsea and Manchester City have entered the fray. Throughout each passing phase, Ferguson has kept his side at the forefront of the title race and all signs point to a prolonged stay in the future, with an exciting generation of young players now coming through.

For all their ‘social shortcomings,’ that make them hated by the rest of the country, you know, like Fergie’s punchable purple nose and the bribing of referees, there is no doubt that Manchester United are a fantastic club and one I have the utmost respect for. That is all, I’m now off to shoot myself.

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COMMENTS

Out of the 3 clubs you mentioned, including Chelsea & City, Utd are the most respectable and impressive - no doubt about that. Yes they've spent vast amounts on transfers and their wages are astronomical but that's why they've been at the top and expectations are so high. Fergie has been a brilliant manager, but truth be told, he's had it easier because of the money available and squad size. If he had Wengers resources would he be comparable to the frenchman? I'm not so sure and it's probably one of the reasons why Arsene was voted manager of the decade ahead of the Scot and Mourinho. Arsenal do have 2 billionaire owners but they (admirably) decide not to go the way of those other top 3 teams. Soon they won't be able to either as Platinis financial fair play comes into force. What Wenger has done is nothing short of remarkable: 14 years in the champions league, moving from a 30k+ capacity stadium to the impressive emirates, playing a brand of football so pleasing it allows them to charge more for tickets than anyone else in England. The upshot of all this has given Arsenal a profile and propelled them to the 3rd richest club in the world, behind only Real Madrid and Man Utd (according to Forbes). This means when Fifas financial fair play is implemented, arsenal will be well placed to compete financially without any sugar daddies. The same cannot be said for City and Chelsea. Wenger deserves a knighthood for this. Sir Alex is a legend, but what Wenger has done for what was once a relatively small club is nothing short of genius and quite frankly puts other managers achievements in the shade.

You gotta be joking as the club is in huge de
bt ,thanks to old red nose who spent millions
of pounds on players ,vastly overrated and overpaid but to suggest that they won all tho
se Premier League titles ,legitimately,is pure hogwash,but why wasn,t Rooney severely punished for a forearm smash to the jaw of a
fellow professional player ,only the season just past,when Gervinho gets a red card for
being manhandled by Joey Barton who didn,t ev
en get a ticking off never mind a red or yel
low card,so your admiration of Trash United sm
cks of hypocrisy ?

This an admirable article and must have been very hard to write for a loyal Gooner. Obviously, I'm a United fan, so that's why I appreciate it. Reciprocally, I can say two things. Arsene Wenger's 'bon mots', "Financial Doping" was a brilliant and succinct way of describing the cash injections into Chelsea and Man City. Also, remembering how Blackburn's only premier title was bought for them by Uncle Jack, it has always been my view that only United and Arsenal have been legitimate champions of the Premier League. Finally, the epithet "Form is temporary and class is permanent" should be remembered. United and Arsenal have class.

Just chanced on this via google. Some of the comments on your article clearly ignore facts e.g. United were debt free til Glazer stuck 100 per cent mortgage on the club. However, your article is pretty good.
Also its not pity. Arsenal are the last of an old brigade that includes United. We were there before the oil and oligarchs. I think Wenger and Ferguson aren't friends as such but they respect each others work and longevity.
I think all United fans respect Wenger's ability to keep competing under the weight of the stadium debt (its all lies when owners say you have money) and Arsenal fans, who are reflective, appreciate Sir Alex's ability to cope with Malcolm Glazers mortgage repayments.

Every time I feel sorry for Arsenal and the situation they find themsleves in I just think of people like @King Gonner and laugh hahaha so King Gooner I would 8 - 2 be an Arsenal fan hahaha. Any money Manchester United spend is generated by themselves. Manchester United, Barcelona and Real Madrid will be the only clubs in the world to really benefit from financial fair play due to the enourmous profits they make. As I Manchester United fan I look forward to financial fair play coming into effect

As a United fan, I am touched to read this article. I too have admiration for Arsenal and Wenger, and the respect I have for the Arsenal legends like Henry and Bergkamp is even more than I have for Beckham. I for one would not want to see Arsenal lose Wenger since Wenger's football philosophy on slick passing football is fun to watch. What I like about the clashes between the two sides are the fact that both teams play with earnest feeling, the hunger to win and the desire to show their game on the pitch. If I may say, there are no feeling that can compare than to see the clash between Arsenal and United back in 01-02. A tense2, game, and one I believe will forever be remembered for the drama and passion. To all United haters, let me just add here that I for one believe in United, and every time we lose, I'd say it will because we were beaten by a better team in the game, even if the team is just a minor team. So why don't you just accept the same if your team gets beaten by United?

Things have changed beyond recognition since the Keane/Vieira days!!!! lol
Having read many similar articles on this and other sites, it seems more to do with the mutual hatred of the 'financially doped' clubs such as MC and Chelski. For example I cannot stand Liverpool, cant be arsed to go into why now, but at least their success is proper and worthy of respect, a naturally gigantic club, like Man U and Arsenal.

Man utd haven't bought success???!!!
Silly boy.
Post-premier league fans are so naive.
In the 1970s, Liam Brady said that Man utd were always trying to tap up players with money.
"For the big money, you have to go to Italy or Man utd," he said.
Their success wouldn't have happened if they weren't so much richer than everyone else.
That's why Chelsea and Man city followed the same model.
But, it was Man utd who introduced cheque book trophies in England.